Vaca Hills Run

The Hills are Alive!

The hills are alive, with the sound of Miatas! Julie Andrews, move over!

On April 21, eight Miatas met in West Sac to begin Kevin Chapnick's Vaca Hills run. Contrary to the terrible storm the previous night, the weather that day was perfect. Bob and I ran sweep in Red Rover. The group drove out through Davis and Woodland toward Lake Berryessa. We even picked up a stray Miata just outside of Winters, but they saw we were headed out of town and stopped to turn around. We crossed the county line into Napa and back toward I-80 near Fairfield. Following frontage roads, we made our way to Benicia for a picnic lunch in the park.

I have never been to the little town of Benicia, but found it to be quaint, with the main street heading up the hill away from the waterfront. I always thought of Benicia as an industrial area, full of refineries and shipyards (well, ok, it has them, too), but it's actually got many waterside parks and museums with neat old Victorian homes. Benicia is located on the Carquinez Strait, which connects the Sacramento River Delta to San Pablo Bay. It's about 35 miles from The City and 57 miles from Sacramento.

Before Sacramento became the hub of political activity, Benicia was the home of California's third state capital (it served as such for one year starting in 1853) and the building is open for tours.

After eating lunch, the group followed our fearless leader, Colonel Kevin, around the industrial area where refining pipes make an archway over the road, toward the Clocktower, an old military installment on the point.

After a short jog around town, we were back on our way toward Sacramento. The weather had warmed up and all the tops were dropped. We parted ways after a potty stop in Winters, ending a nice day out.

Thanks, Kevin, for executing this run. Everyone who attended enjoyed themselves and appreciated the expert way in which you lead the pack!